Candidate Statements for
Division 2. Society for the Teaching of Psychology

Please note that the submission of a candidate statement was voluntary, so not all candidates listed on the ballot will have a statement.

Candidate: Amy C. Fineburg, PhD

Office: President-elect

Candidate Statement:

Psychology is the best course students can take, which makes teaching psychology the best job! STP has a long, successful history of making the teaching psychology better, and as President-Elect, I will work to strengthen our focus on quality instruction, aligned content, and responsive professional learning. STP has been on the forefront of developing guidance and scholarship on teaching psychology well, and we can do more to implement that guidance and encourage more instructors to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning. I want to see STP continue to offer the “gold standard” of professional learning in the teaching of psychology, and I will work to ensure that STP is offering such learning to all types of instructors and teachers on all levels.

I believe we are stronger when we welcome diverse perspectives, so I will work to continue to remove barriers for participation in our programs. I want to encourage more underrepresented teachers and instructors be able to attend STP workshops and conferences. We can offer funding for specific groups who have difficulty securing travel funds (like graduate students, high school teachers, and adjunct instructors). We can make conferences friendlier to families and single parents. We can recruit speakers and presenters who represent different contexts and perspectives to share their work. By identifying diverse perspectives and nurturing leadership, we can ensure the strong future of STP for years to come. I welcome the chance to lead STP in that direction.

Candidate: David S. Kreiner, PhD

Office: President-elect

Candidate Statement:

Teaching has always been the core of my professional identity. I have taught a variety of courses over the past 28 years. My favorite is General Psychology but I also enjoy teaching courses students think they won’t like, such as Statistics.

STP means a great deal to me. I have presented at STP events, published in and served as a consulting editor for Teaching of Psychology, served on the Project Syllabus team, and coordinated the Departmental Consulting Service. I served for six years as STP Treasurer, which gave me a daily view into the outstanding work of our members. I have administrative experience as a department chair for the last six years.

If elected, I would focus on the welcoming and supportive culture of STP. I believe there is some untapped potential in later-career teachers of Psychology and would like to find ways to get them more involved in STP, using the excellent work of our GSTA and ECP Committee as inspiration. For example, faculty at research-intensive institutions interested in changing their focus to teaching and SoTL may benefit from guidance and have valuable insights to offer others.

Another initiative would be applying the rich literature on the psychology of time to improve our teaching lives. For example, there is research on how we estimate how long it will take to complete an activity. That information could be handy in planning effective use of class time. I do understand the irony in suggesting that we devote time to this initiative!

Candidate: Kelley Haynes-Mendez, PsyD

Office: V. P. for Diversity and International Relations

Candidate Statement:

I currently serve as associate professor of psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. I am also a licensed psychologist and previously provided psychotherapy and diagnostic evaluations in a private practice. I have been a member of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) since 2006. In STP, I have served on both the diversity and international relations committees. From January, 2016 to December, 2017 I was the chair for the STP international relations committee. During that time, I participated in an STP Presidential Taskforce for International Outreach. Additionally, I was the grant coordinator for an STP sponsored CODAPAR grant - a collaboration between Divisions 1, 2, and 52 designed to integrate more international and internationalized syllabi within Project Syllabus. My academic career has primarily revolved around teaching multicultural content in psychology programs. My professional interests also include faculty training and development in global education. I have coordinated global education training seminars at the UN mandated University for Peace (UPEACE), Centre for Executive Education in Costa Rica to support faculty at my institution. I also earned a diploma in social innovation from UPEACE in 2017. STP, with its mission to “promote excellence in the teaching and learning of psychology” is an invaluable resource to me as a psychology educator. Serving as the society’s Vice President for Diversity and International Relations would be aligned with my interests in multicultural and international education, as well as faculty development. I would be honored to serve the Society in this position.

Candidate: Meera Komarraju, PhD

Office: V. P. for Membership

Candidate Statement:

The “Teaching of Psychology” is central to my academic career. My initial involvement with STP began as I presented teaching related posters and talks at various conferences. However, I became fully involved after participating in the 2008 National Conference on Undergraduate Psychology at the University of Puget Sound where I met some amazing STP members who warmly included me within the larger community of like-minded psychologists. Subsequently, I enjoyed interacting with students (undergraduate and graduate) and early career psychologists beginning their academic journey as I began coordinating the annual STP program at the regional Midwestern Psychological Association conference (invited speakers, symposia and roundtable discussions). Currently, as Vice President for Membership I love expanding the Teachers of Psychology family by working with the larger membership and various sub-committees.

I am interested in a second term as VP for Membership because I truly enjoy my assignment and believe there is so much more that I can do. After becoming familiar with my various responsibilities, I see numerous ways in which we can strengthen what we already do well. These include actively engaging our membership, fostering an inclusive climate for members from diverse backgrounds, mentoring larger numbers of graduate student teaching assistants and early career psychologists, keeping our entire membership fully informed about STP’s various activities and opportunities as well as working closely with other VPs in effectively hosting our various programs. It would be an honor and privilege to continue serving all of you who care deeply about the Teaching of Psychology.

Candidate: Jodie B. Ullman, PhD

Office: V. P for Membership

Candidate Statement:

The Society of Teaching Psychology is a vibrant organization and I am honored to be nominated to serve in the role of Vice President for Membership (STP; Division 2 of APA). As a Fellow of APA Division 2, I consider this division to be my “home”. As I was beginning my career, a past president of APA Division 2 told me that the people in Division 2 would be the most caring and committed people I would meet - she was correct. People make organizations great, hence the sustained success of STP. Serving in this role would allow me to serve a core function in the STP organization – sustaining, engaging and growing the membership. The STP already has a well-articulated leadership structure for membership that spans graduate students, ECPs, through fellows. I look forward to exploring ideas and creating mechanisms for further engaging current members in a variety of methods as well as attracting new members. I will be particularly interested in helping STP’s initiatives to diversify and widen its membership.

I’ve served in several leadership positions (Board member and Chair of APA Board of Education Affairs, Board member and President of WPA, University Faculty Senate Chair, and CSU Statewide Academic Senator). In these roles, I’ve learned about leadership and organizational functioning. Membership is one of the key factors in sustaining excellence in an organization. I will bring a range of experiences and leadership skills that could contribute to vibrance of the STP. Thank you for considering my candidacy.